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Monica Raymund
Monica Raymund (born July 26th 1986) is an American actress who stars as Gabriella Dawson, the fast-thinking, fearless paramedic who, along with her partner, faces harrowing situations, in NBC's drama "Chicago Fire and as a recurring character on Chicago P.D.." She is known for her roles as Maria "Ria" Torres in the Fox police drama Lie to Me and Dana Lodge in the CBS legal drama The Good Wife. Biography Raymund was born in St. Petersburg, Florida to Steve Raymund, the board chairman and retired CEO of Tech Data Corp., a Clearwater-based distributor of computer components and software, and Sonia (née Lara), "a community volunteer the co-founder of the Soulful Arts Dance Academy in St. Petersburg," who hails from Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. Her father was of German and Eastern European Jewish descent. Her grandfather was businessman and philanthropist Edward C. Raymund. Raymund's younger brother, Will was a graduate of Berklee College of Music, and a sound and lighting engineer and music promoter. He died in August 2015. She was raised Jewish and celebrated a Bat Mitzvah. In high school, she participated in the "Broadway Theater Project in Tampa and at the North Carolina School of the Arts in Winston-Salem." Raymund graduated from Shorecrest Preparatory School in St. Petersburg, Florida in 2004, and from the Juilliard School in New York City in 2008. Reportedly, Raymund performed in Cymbeline directed by Richard Feldman, The Diviners, and Animal Farm (directed by Trizana Beverley) all at the Juilliard School. Raymund also appeared in her native St. Petersburg, Florida in the LiveArts Peninsula Foundation's original production of Manhattan Casino where she originated the leading role of Althea Dunbar and Webb's City: The Musical." Raymund "is a three-year alumna of Ann Reinking's Broadway Theater Project, where she has been a featured performer." Raymund has also "worked with playwright José Rivera on Boleros for the Disenchanted at the Huntington Theatre Company in Boston" in 2008. In April 2008, she appeared the NBC legal drama Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, in season 9 episode 17 titled "Authority" in the opening scene as a strip search prank call victim. From 2009 to 2011, she starred in the Fox police drama Lie to Me, where she played Maria "Ria" Torres, a human lie detector who is a "natural", meaning she has no formal training in detecting lies or the emotions of others. She was using crutches because of a knee injury when she auditioned for this role. From 2011 until 2012, Raymund had a recurring role in the third season of the CBS legal drama The Good Wife, where she played Dana Lodge, an assistant states attorney. In 2012, Raymund began starring in the NBC drama Chicago Fire as Gabriela Dawson Casey, the paramedic in charge. On May 15, 2018, Raymund confirmed that she was leaving the series after six seasons and would not appear in season 7. Source: Wikipedia Notes and Trivia * Raymund studied acting at Julliard. * Raymund has two tattoos: a butterfly on the arm and a feather on the sternum. * Her grandfather, Edward Charles Raymund, was a philanthropist and businessperson, who founded the family company Tech Data Corp., a multi-billion dollar corporation, that distributes computer components and software. * Her father is of English and Ashkenazi Jewish descent. Her mother is from a Dominican family. Monica had a Bat Mitzvah ceremony. * Raymund is the recipient of the John Houseman Award for her commitment and dedication. * Raymund was married to writer and director Neil Patrick Stewart, and she resides in both Los Angeles and New York City and recently divorced in 2014. Category:Cast Category:Main Cast